Many children find math a difficult subject to comprehend. If this is the case with your students or kids, present hands-on activities that enable them to manipulate objects that will engage them and make the subject easier to understand. Pretzels are not only a tasty treat, but they can also be used to teach several beginning math concepts to children. When the math lessons are complete, reward kids by allowing them to snack on the treat.

Follow up:

Pretzel Subtraction

Use pretzels to teach children how to subtract. Write down a subtraction problem on a piece of paper and provide children with a pile of pretzels. Instruct children to count out a number of pretzels that are equal to the minuend, or the first number in the problem. In order to solve the problem, they remove the number of pretzels from the pile indicated by the subtrahend, or the second number in the subtraction problem. For example, if the problem is 7-2, they would count out seven pretzels and then remove two from the seven; the total number of pretzels remaining represents the difference -- in this case, five.

Pretzel Patterns

Use a variety of different types of pretzels to teach children how to make patterns. Provide examples of different patterns using different letters of the alphabet. For instance, ABAB, ABCABC and ABBABBA. Write down these patterns on a sheet of paper. Children select different types of pretzels to represent the letters in the patterns you have provided them and use the pretzels to create the pattern. Pretzel rods and twists may be used to recreate an ABAB pattern and would be laid out as follows: rod, twist, rod, twist.

Pretzel Sort

Teach children how to sort items based on the items' attributes using several different types of pretzels. Lay out a mixed up pile of pretzels; rods, twists, chocolate covered, waffle shaped, salted and unsalted. Discuss the difference between the types of pretzels and have children sort them into categories. One sort may be based on type and another may be based on salted and unsalted.

Pretzel Graph

Find out the preferred pretzel in your class or home with a pretzel graph. Write different types of pretzels on the bottom of a piece of butcher paper or poster board -- soft, chocolate covered and rods, for instance. Ask students or members of your family to indicate which type of pretzel is their favorite by placing a check mark above the name of their preferred pretzel. After everyone has marked off their pretzel preference, count the number of checks in each column and write the total number above each type. Ask children to examine the graph and determine which pretzel is the favorite, which is the least favorite, which is the second favorite and so forth.


Read more: Math Activities Using Pretzels for Kids | eHow.com